Chicago Cubs: Trading Kris Bryant isn’t as simple as it might seem

If the Chicago Cubs are going to move Kris Bryant, there are several other considerations that will impact his market in the coming weeks and months.

To this point, it’s been a whole lot of nothing when it comes to the Chicago Cubs re-tooling for a potential run at the National League Central in 2020. A team that’s coming off just 84 wins clearly needs to make some changes, but so far, there’s been little in terms of impactful moves.

In fact, Chicago is one of just a handful of clubs to not sign a free agent to a Major League contract so far this offseason – an ominous sign that lays the team’s financial limitations in plain sight. That being said, there’s still time for Theo Epstein to help leave his mark on the club in hopes of reaching the postseason for the fifth time in six years.

One potential way to do so, of course, would be trading Kris Bryant. This wildly unpopular idea seems like the Cubs’ quickest way to get a strong return and hopefully keep their competitive window open past 2021. But trading a player of Bryant’s caliber is never easy – it’s hard to line up what both teams perceive as a fair deal.

Chicago faces more than just that hurdle in any prospective deal, though. Josh Donaldson, the premier third baseman left on the free agent market, is yet to sign. Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies are reportedly willing to listen to trade offers on Nolan Arenado, giving clubs that may have interest in Bryant yet another alternative.